Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, they say, is the largest and grandest in the world, so when I was working in Taos, I decided to drop by to see for myself. The process starts slowly in the predawn hours as a single balloon is inflated (the Continental Airlines balloon in this case). It will ascend to check the winds aloft for the following balloons. Once the first balloon is airborne, the pace quickly accelerates until the sky is filled with hundreds of these colorful and magnificent balloons.